Plant Sale: May 14, 2022      9:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon.        Shrewsbury Senior Center

SOIL TEST INSTRUCTIONS:  

How to Take a Soil Sample for pH Testing

Taking a soil sample for pH testing is easy:

(1) Identify the area(s) of your property you want to test: Different areas may have different pH levels, e.g., lawn vs. flower bed vs. vegetable garden. To submit different areas for testing, collect separate samples. Within a given area, if there are sections that are sickly vs. healthy, they should also be sampled and labeled separately (e.g., sickly vs. healthy sections of lawn).

(2) Gather your supplies:

•   A spade, shovel, soil probe, or augur for digging your sample(s)
•   One small clean bucket for each area you plan to sample (e.g., one bucket for the lawn, a separate bucket for 
your flower bed)
•   One small plastic bag for each area to be sampled 
(3) Dig your soil sample(s):
•   Step A: Depending on how large the area is, dig 5-10 holes approx. 6-8” deep for gardens (4-6” deep for lawns; 8-10” deep for trees/ shrubs); remove a sample of the soil all the way down to the depth of the hole; in other words, collect soil from the top, the middle and the bottom of the hole.
•   Step B: Combine all soil samples from the same area in a clean bucket. Mix thoroughly and remove stones, sticks or other debris.
•   Step C: Let the soil dry out for a few days in the bucket.
•   Step D: Put approx. 1/2 cup of dry soil into a plastic bag. Mark the bag with your name and the area of your 
property where the sample was taken (e.g., lawn, rhododendron bed).
•   If you want to sample additional areas of your property, repeat Steps A-B-C-D above. 
(4) Bring your sample(s) to the Shrewsbury Garden Club Plant Sale pH Test table

 

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